Keiter Corp. Donates $10,000 for Northampton Gift-card Promotion

FLORENCE — Keiter Corp. has donated $10,000 to the Greater Northampton Chamber of Commerce for a promotion that will allow consumers to purchase a $25 Northampton gift card and receive $50 in actual spending power.

This investment by Keiter, aimed at helping to continue to boost the local economy in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, will be supplemented by a $2,500 contribution from the chamber’s Community Revitalization Fund, allowing for 250 of the double-valued, $25 Northampton gift cards to be sold.

Billed as a “Kickstart the Community with a Keiter Card” campaign, the promotion will launch on Thursday, Aug. 12. The $25 Keiter cards will be sold exclusively at the chamber offices at 99 Pleasant St., Northampton between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. Consumers must mention that they want a Keiter card, and the promotion applies only to $25 Northampton gift-card purchases. (A $50 gift card would not be valued at $100, for instance.) There is a limit of one card per customer, per transaction.

“We care about our community and where we live,” said Scott Keiter, founder and president of the Keiter Corp. “Our families are here. Our business is here. We saw this as an opportunity to raise awareness about our business in a way that benefits the local business community and consumers. We’re trying to reinvest in a different way.

“COVID-19 was not fair,” he added. “Some industries, people, and families were hit significantly harder than others. We see this as a way to help people get back out there and feel better about having a nice meal and spending some time in downtown Northampton. Let’s continue to build the positive energy downtown and support our business community.”

Based in Florence, Keiter has provided general-contracting and construction-management services in the Valley since 2010 for its commercial and residential projects.

Scott Keiter is a member of the chamber’s board of directors and its finance committee, so he is personally aware of the financial hit that local merchants took during the pandemic. Knowing the gift-card program has been successful, he thought an investment focused on it would be a win-win-win for his business, the chamber, and shoppers around the region who have also been hard-hit.

“We see this as a positive way to invest in our community,” he said. “Things are coming back to life. It’s another little piece of the puzzle — another piece of forward movement. We hope this is very successful and triggers a cascade of other organizations getting involved in doing similar things.”

The Northampton Gift Card is currently accepted at 65 restaurants, shops, and other establishments. Additionally, 25 Keiter cards will be given away via an online promotion on the Daily Hampshire Gazette’s website, gazettenet.com.